Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-09
A WICKED ELEPHANT.
PLEASURES OF RAILWAY TRAVEL
WITH A VICIOUS BRUTE.
Locked in Close Car at Night With An
Elephant In One Corner and u Drunken
Keeper In Another-Lively Times-put
Not Your Trust in r ephants.


| Not Your Trust in r. ephants.
During the time | was with Fore
rauCh's circus says James Twitchell
Buffalo Bll's late manager Of the Londol
''Wild West Show, Il took part in som,
exhibitions that Were not down on tn,
bills. One in particular l shall not b,
likely To forget. The show dispanded a
Chicago. Bamboo. the trick elephant, wa:
leased TO the Kiralfy brothers, who wer,
about TO open their season in Boston
Bamboo had established a name for him
self as n savage, treacherous brute who
had killed and MANNED at least a dozen
men. He had keeper who was in
the habit of becoming and remaining
drunk. / hadn't much idea Of the
dangerous character of the journey until
we were perhaps hundred miles ont OF
Chicago. The bOttCm of the car was
thickly Uttered with hay. in which BAN.
boo, the keeper and myself We're to SLEEP
together. The keepers bottle was one OF
my earliest discoveries and discourage
ments. The novelty of the situation kept
me awake pretty much all the first night
out, and it was with some ,lismay that
tASeoNNitt thht was ilolcltSslN
drunk. snoring in the bay. That / would
not have minded had Bamboo only kept
quiet. But he didn't and wouldn't, and
tiat first night, before | had become in
the least accustomed to the situation, was
simply night Of horrors. In the still
hours of that night, with the train rush
ing along at the rate of thirty miles an
hour, l would at short intervals hear a
muified snort from the monster at the
other end of the car, and then feel gi-
gantic foot showing against me. or the end
OF his trunk passing inquisitively over my
face. Then | would jump up and yell to
the keeper, with energetic kicks to en-
phasize my remarks.
Here, you-wake up! That Internal
elephant is going TO trample us to death"
The drunken keeper would get to his
feet, swear, give Bag boo an uumerciful
prodding with his fI k. the great brute
would lie down and cry, and we would
have peace.
This scene, with variations, is what
happened all the way from Chicago to
New York. wasn't trampled to death
by the elephant; why was not do not
know.
about daylight We were in the vicinity
Of Erie, Pa. Here Bamboo took cogni-
zance of his surroundings in a disagree
able way. Elephant cars be it under
stood, are specially built and fitted for the
transportation of these brutcs. and the
TAR in which we first embarked was not
IF this kind. 1t was not high enough nor
strong enough. When tine vicious brute
had thoroughly satisfied himself of these
facts, he rose up out of the hay arched
his ugly back, and burst the whole top of
tae car ont.
1--WE stopped at Erie. There was loud
swearing and clamor by the railroad men
for compensation for the damage. told
them TO send their bill TO the Kiralfys.
and, in the meantime, if they didn't want
ihe elephant on their hands to take care
pf, they had better help me get him to
Boston rs fast as possible. They took a
look at Bamboo, observed his vicious eye,
and said they guessed that was so.
We arrived at Buffalo. \ necessity
Of the trip was change of cars at this
point. Tho elephant had been Well fed
and well watered, and might have had
the decency to behave himself The
keeper got him out Of the wrecked car in
good shape and started him for his new
quarters in the waiting train. 4 great
pile of blackberry crates was near. but not
Al all in the way. May be blamed if
that devilish brute didn't make for them
aud destroy twentyfour full crates before
the keeper could restrain him.
Well, everybody knows the law about
elephants and other wild beasts. / had
Ia settle for the blackberrics on the spot,
and n large hole it made in my $50.
The most dangerous and laborious in
rident Of our trip would not have hap
pened but for the fact that when the
keeper was sober he would smoke a pipe.
His smoking set the hay afire near Syra-
,use. and before it was discovered the car
was filled with smoke. the elephant was
snorting and trumpeting, and We couldn' I
stamp out the fire.
I'VE had two buckets. ! rushed with
them through the baggage car, over the
tender, got the fireman in the cab to fill
them, and ran back with them to our car.
THIS feat, half dozen times repeated,
with the train going at express speed. was
no small task. The keeper took the pals
at the door of our car and doused the
burning hay with the water. Simple
business. you would say. TO put out such
a fire that way. So It would have been
but for that elephant. He came near
getting us and himself burned up to-
gethcr; for about every second he would
swing his trunk around, Overset the pals
aud spill the water anywhere but on the
fire have heard something of the in
telligence of the elephant; this fellow was
in panic until we got that fire ont.
"One Sunday morning we unloaded al
f..pfr,I q, in Nayy Nnrl-
and getting into Broadway. marched tri-
u'nphantly down. OF my $50 l had left
Sl50 Bamboo had eaten up and de
siroyed more than $50 worth. The keeper
was cloriously drunk: but We had passed
the larger part of the journey, we had bu,
one stage more, and had high hopes OF
getting into Boston Tuesday morning al
the furthest.
with much trouble we gotSthe brute
quartered in barn on Crosby street. We
slept with him. and ate cold junk for
twenty-four hours. When we marched
aboard the sound steamer with Bamboo
the next day my $50 was gone, and thu
keeper and had left our coats rs securit!
for the elephants board. Yet l presum,
the crowd On the steamer thought it th,
correct thing for gentlemen in care of M
elephant to appear in their shirt sleeves
So our dignity was maintained.
1.-The name of kiralfy, aided, believe
by telegram from the management Il
the captain Of the boat. secured our trans
portation, and l fondly fancied that IN!
woes were over. But let no man put hi
trust in an elephant. Bamboo was reserv
ing his master stroke for the finish. II
| the streets of Boston we met a car. Th
elephant deliberately killed the horse will
one blow of his trunk; the car was over
turned; the passengers tainted, screame'
and ran; short parley was held with tn
police, which resulted in final tri
umphant procession to the kiralfy barn
First, very long distance ahead, walked
squad of police: next came Bamboo, hi